In an article published in the International Development Planning Review, Dr Colin Marx of Kingston University in the United Kingdom argues that the results of formalisation initiatives in the informal land market have been less than impressive in practice. He argues that one of the reasons is a failure to analyse informal land markets on their own terms. Drawing on evidence from informal land markets in informal settlements in three of South Africa's metropolitan areas, Marx demonstrates how informal land markets can be understood differently and how this changes how their potential to reduce poverty is analysed. Purchase the full article online.

Also read the 2007 Urban Landmark report on the accessing, holding and trading of urban land by the poor, on which Marx's paper is based.